Posts tagged cover reveal

Introducing End Game, a romantic comedy about two gamers who meet in a virtual online world, and whose relationship crosses into real life.

Last year, I polled readers with a list of book projects I had lined up. One which received a lot of readers votes was End Game. Now Unscripted is released, I’ve finished End Game and have a release date! I’ve also included a short excerpt… see below.

END GAME: A Gamer Romance

Release date: June 19th

If you think geek heroes can’t be hot, think again…

He’s my knight in shining armour, but not the romantic kind a girl dreams about. This one invaded my online world and threw everything into chaos.

My sorcerer can kick his ass in the game, but real life kicks mine. Gaining experience points online is easier than in reality, and when I play, I know where my quests lead. In the real world, the storylines confuse me, and I don’t know which direction I’m heading in.

In the game, I’m in control.

Or I was until he arrived.

This guy never shares anything about himself, and I only know him as ‘Thorsday’. My Aussie gaming nemesis can’t be a blond haired, blue-eyed god in reality.

Can he?

There’s something about this enigmatic man that intrigues me, and the more we play together, the bigger my desire to meet him. And I know he feels the same.

The problem is, if I allow my game world to merge with reality, I could die standing in the fire.

I stare at the artwork prints on the wall behind the stall, and the artwork folio in front of me. There’s an ethereal style to the watercolour fantasy creatures, and a strange innocence in the human faces in fantasy worlds. Sucking on my liquorice, I weigh up between buying unicorn artwork or the badge.

“There’re some amazing images here.” I turn to the voice; Aaron smiles at the girl sitting behind the desk, who’s drawing outlines of a new work. She looks up and her reaction mirrored mine earlier. God like man talking to her. Complimenting.

He smiles and turns to the folio of work in front of him, as I stand, green liquorice gluing my teeth together.

“Candy and unicorns, huh?” he asks, not looking up. “I learn more about you everyday.”

I proffer the bag and he shakes his head. “Not a candy fan.”

At least my full mouth excuses my inability to respond.

“You missed the end of the cosplay competition.”

I swallow. “Who won?”

“Not sure. I missed it too.”

Aaron turns to me and takes the badge from my hands. His warm, soft fingers set an electric charge I swear matches the thunderbolts Sinestre used on Thorsday when we duelled. The touch jolted my heart because it’s beating a hell of a lot quicker than before.

No, please. I don’t need this.

“Sinestre, the pink unicorn girl. That doesn’t add up.” He turns the badge over in his broad palm. “Not very kickass.”

I pull the liquorice between my teeth and it snaps. His eyes focus on my lips, as I lick the escaping part into my mouth, and they darken.

No. Double no. “I like unicorns.”

Way to sound twelve years old…

I pay, and the stall holder tucks the badge into a paper bag. She watches Aaron as I attempt to ignore the fact his large frame overshadows everything right now.

“Why did you miss the end of the competition?” I ask and step to the next stall. Jewellery, the cogs and clock faces intricately set into bronze settings on long chains. Black and gold letters above the guy in a top hat and a cog-like monocle.

Steampunk. Not my thing. I sidestep to the next stall.

“I wanted to find you.”

The paper bag creases as I grip it tightly. What the hell? “I told everyone I was going to the bathroom.”

“But you’re not in the bathroom anymore.”

“Astute. Why look for me?” His intimidating effect on my senses needs dealing with as I focus on his eyes, searching for any hints something lies beneath—which I’m a hundred percent sure does.

“I wanted to take a photo with the guild before we all go our separate ways; I think Erin and Cole are leaving soon, so we need you to come back to the group.”

“Aren’t you coming to the party?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Aaron crosses his arms over his chest which is no mean feat considering how much extra the armour adds to his body.

“You should. Tyler will be upset if you don’t. I swear he’s hero-worshipping you.”

The smile reappears. “You mean he wants to be me when he grows up?”

“How old are you?” I blurt.

“You want to start with the personal questions now?”

“Your age is hardly a big thing. Or is it? You don’t have to tell me.”

Aaron sighs and gestures towards a quieter corner. He rests against the wall, voices echoing around us still, but somehow locked in our own space.

“The thing is, Evie, I could tell you anything and it could be a lie. I could catfish you all.”

“You’re Tyler’s cousin’s friend. His cousin must know you.”

“Not really. We’re from the same guild—well, we were—I’d never met him in person either. He knows nothing about me.”

“Apart from what you share in game?”

“Yep.”

I smooth my robe with perspiring palms. “Tell me one true thing about yourself, then. And one lie.”

He rubs his long fingers across his mouth, those gorgeous blue eyes drawing me into trusting him. I’m such a sucker for men’s eyes and look where I usually end up – their bed. “And I don’t have to tell you which is a lie?”

“No. As long as one is true.”

“Hmm. I was arrested once, and I’ve never been in love,” he says.

“Wow, okay, I didn’t expect things that personal.”

“Go hard or go home, you know me.”

“Right.”

“Your turn.”

I run my tongue along my bottom lip. “I never said I’d…” I sigh. “Okay, but it’s not fair because you can ask Tyler.”

“There has to be things he doesn’t know about you, Evie.”

I clear my throat. “I cheated in my Year 12 finals, and my first kiss was a girl.”

Aaron splutters out a laugh. “I’m not sure I want either of those to be true.”

“I guess you’ll never know.” I stand, relieved we’re talking the way we do online, but mind blown by the conversation. Sure, we have these strange chats in game, but face to face? Weird. Does he read me? “Why aren’t you coming to the party? Scared you’ll get drunk and reveal too much of yourself?”

“Ah. I don’t know. Maybe I will come. I wasn’t planning to, but you’re tempting.”

“Tempting?”

“The guild. Spending some reality with you all.”

My spirits drop. But did I really want to tempt him? And I don’t care what he says, the glint in his eyes is telling me temptation isn’t far.

“You can talk game at the party, no need to talk Aaron.”

He pulls himself from the wall and nods at me. “But if I want to talk to Evie, I’ll need to talk Aaron, won’t I?”

Cover Revealed

Blurb

Even when love seems unbreakable, it can still be battered, distorted damaged beyond repair.

There ís only one thing Frankie yearns for these days, and that ís to share the gift that makes Cain so extraordinary. But no matter how inferior she feels, she ís determined to help the man she loves with his secret rescues, hoping that one day she will access a higher power of her own.

The one thing she knows for sure is that nothing will ever come between her and Cain again.

Then a stranger arrives in their midst, disrupting the solid loyalties in Cain’s group. This man has the very thing Frankie needs to unlock her powers, but the price is higher than she could have dreamed.

Can Frankie and Cainís love survive the fallout?

Fallout is book 2 in the new adult paranormal romance series, The Incorruptibles, by Amazon Bestselling author S.D. Wasley.

Bonus: Sign up to S.D. Wesley’s VIP Reader’s Club for a Fallout Preview Scene

A standalone paranormal thriller

Release Date: January 12th 2016

These weren’t ghosts of the dead with unfinished business. They were something far more sinister.

Daniel Barrow is a ghost hunter bound to a life of misery; protecting the world from ghosts by killing their human hosts. He knows the rules: mark the targets, plot the crime scenes, and then murder those beyond saving. Daniel’s safe in his rituals—until he meets Faye Michaels.

Faye isn’t his average target and her ghosts threaten to destroy everything he has worked for. When his ritual goes wrong, Daniel must create an uneasy alliance with the woman he intended to kill. But the deeper they dig, the closer they get to a dangerous secret that will change their lives forever.

Daniel must make a choice: fulfil his duty, or turn his back on those he has come to trust. Can the truth lead him to salvation?

Travelling was Frankie’s life. As the daughter of a big-name evangelist, she’s been able to feed her hunger for new sights throughout most of her teenage years. Then a hushed-up scandal gets her thrown off the tour circuit and stuck at her uncle’s house in the town of Augur’s Well.

Forced to repeat her failed senior year, it looks like a dismal existence for Frankie until she ís invited to the bizarre meeting place of four mismatched people … and falls hard for the fascinating, secretive Cain Aleister.

Furtive meetings in an underground chamber … Latin words carved into a stone wall … intense desire … and a secret so elusive she’ll do almost anything to bust it open. Until now, Frankie never believed in grand passions but that’s not the only one of her beliefs about to implode right before her eyes.

TITLE – The Same Deep Water

AUTHOR – Lisa Swallow

SERIES – Standalone

GENRE – New Adult

RELEASE DATE – 26th August 2015

COVER DESIGN – Najla Qamber Designs

Synopsis

The strange man with flowers stepped from the shadows and saved my life.

Guy. Dimpled smile. Body of a surf god. Smart and funny. Running out of time.

We became travelling companions through life, ticking off items on our bucket lists. I’d hidden from happiness for years and kept my life under strict control. Guy showed me how to step into the world and experience more. He brought light into the shadows and helped me through the darkness.

I became Phe again. I lived.

There’s just one problem.

We fell in love and this wasn’t part of our plans.

I thought we could face the future together, but Guy has a secret which changes everything.

Sometimes, believing the lies we tell ourselves is easier than dealing with the truth.

The Same Deep Water is a standalone New Adult romance set in Australia.

GET THE SAME DEEP WATER AT THE PRE-ORDER PRICE OF 99c, LIMITED TIME ONLY!!

Cover design: Najla Qamber Designs

Photographer: Lindee Robinson

Models: Chad Feyrer and Madison Wayne

Summer Star is a retelling of part one of Summer Sky from Dylan’s point of view

“I love the world we’re in, where you’ll always be my summer Sky. I could live here forever.”

Dylan Morgan has lived and breathed his life as lead singer of Blue Phoenix for eight years and now it’s suffocating him. On the verge of a breakdown, he cuts off his signature long-hair and walks away from the band.

Returning to a place from his childhood, Dylan’s life collides with Sky Davis, the girl who doesn’t know or care who he is. Usually girls fall at his feet in a star-struck heap, so Dylan is intrigued by and attracted to the girl who’d rather read about hot guys in books than succumb to his charms.

What follows is an unsuccessful battle to keep his rock star ego under control and his hands off Sky. The harder Sky fights her attraction to him, the harder Dylan tries to get her attention. But a girl like Sky needs more than a smouldering look and a bacon sandwich to win her over.

Dylan and Sky find themselves lost together in the fantasy of a holiday romance by the sea, but the reality of who Dylan is threatens to break the illusion at any moment.

My mobile phone rings again, whoever’s calling isn’t giving up any time soon. I scrabble around on the seat next to me, pushing my leather jacket on the floor as I retrieve my phone. I should’ve figured out how to work Bluetooth before I started driving my newest car any distance. Glancing between the road and the phone, I see Bryn’s name on the screen and ignore him.

The country lane I’m driving down is quieter than the main roads, a bit narrow for my large Audi, and the trip will take longer, but if there’s no other traffic I’ve less chance of someone spotting me.

The only other car on the road is a beaten up silver hatchback in front. I fucking hope the car leaves this road soon, it was bad enough when we were trundling behind a tractor but now she’s sticking to the pathetically low speed limit. I say ‘she’ because I doubt a guy would drive so slowly. Unless it is a ‘he’ and he’s some kind of pussy.

Still crawling along behind Miss Go-Slow, I give up and pick up the incessantly ringing phone.

“Dylan?” Bryn.

“Yeah.”

“Where the fuck are you?”

“I’m not saying.”

Bryn exhales loudly down the phone. “Jesus, Dylan. You can’t just fuck off and not tell anyone where.”

Distracted by Bryn’s words, I’m not alert enough to stop my car in time when the idiot in front of me decides to suddenly hit the brakes. My car smacks into the back of the hatchback, jerking me to reality. There’s nobody else around, nothing obstructing the road. What the hell?

“For fuck’s sake!” I yell. “Bryn, I have to go.”

I throw the phone on my seat and my arms into the air in a ‘what the fuck’ gesture to whoever’s car just ruined my paintwork. Just what I need…

A petite girl with dark blonde, wavy hair climbs out of the car and slams her door shut, fury in her stance as she stomps towards the car. Shit, shit, shit she’s bound to recognise me. I hesitate. I could drive away?

The girl gesticulates at me to lower the window, her blue eyes narrowed. Ah well, wait till she sees who I am, then she’ll calm down. I wave at her to stand back then I climb out of the car.

I check her out – I wonder if she realises the top button of her blue and white summer dress is undone or that I can see the top of her very nice pair of natural tits? I inspect the rest of her from behind my sunglasses and wait for the inevitable reaction to meeting Dylan Morgan.

She’s hot – in a pissed off way. Her anger puts pink in her pale cheeks and those curves… I’m sick of skinny chicks with fake boobs, and so rarely come face to face with one who isn’t. This is why I’m so fucking lost – I don’t see real people anymore.

Definitely not anyone like her.

I yank off my sunglasses, partly to see her more clearly and partly to give her more of a clue who I am. Yeah, I’m running and hiding from the world, but my ego always wins.

Nothing. No reaction to me at all. Okay, this is new. I don’t speak and inspect the front of my car instead, brushing the damage with my fingers. Flakes of silver paint stick to my hands. Great.

“It’s your fault if you ran up the back of me,” the girl says from behind. She has a local accent, one that reminds me of past summers in this part of England. A past I’m trying to escape to by coming back here; time away to switch off from the crazy shit in my current life.

And she’s wrong about the accident, this is not my fault. I straighten and turn back to her. “You stopped without any indication!”

“A dog ran out in front of me,” she snaps.

Is that an excuse? A bloody weird one. “What dog?”

“The dog’s not here now. I don’t think the dog realised it needed to be a material witness and ran off!” The girl narrows her eyes at me but her anger is doing nothing but amuse and attract me. She’s funny and has no clue who she’s dealing with. That open button at the top of her dress catches my eye again and, in response, the girl crosses her arms over her chest, the sexy pink on her cheeks flaring. An image of her naked in my bed jumps into my mind.

What the fuck do I do? She’s evidently not going to fall in a star struck heap at my feet and I don’t want to hang around in a country lane where other people could pass by and see me. What do people normally do when this kind of thing happens? I don’t know. What I do know is I need to leave.

“I wouldn’t normally do this, but I’m in a hurry. Forget the insurance, I’ll give you the money. How much do you think it’ll cost to fix your car?” I ask her

She blinks at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language. “I don’t know.”

I inspect the damage on her car and from where I’m standing, it’s difficult to tell if the state of the car is all due to the collision. “Not much, I think. It’s an old model. Was the paintwork that bad before I hit you?”

She pulls herself to full height, which isn’t very tall compared to my six feet plus, and fixes me with an even sourer look. “I’m not taking your money. Repairs might cost more than you have! If you give me your name and number, we can sort the insurance out the proper way.”

Ah. There we have it. I knew this wasn’t a co-incidence. Groupies go to stupid lengths to get my details and this is one of the more insane attempts. Try again, sweetheart. “Very fucking clever. Do you think I would?”

Momentarily her mouth parts in surprise, then she takes a deep breath before saying, “Swapping details is a strange and ancient custom which occurs when dickheads on mobile phones rear-end the car in front.”

What the fuck? Who is this woman? People don’t say shit like this to me. I’m not often lost for words but she managed to knock them out of me. I should be pissed off but she’s a breath of fresh air.

“I don’t give people my personal details.” I scrutinise her, attempting to see if there’s a facade for me to push down. Then I switch on Dylan Morgan, the rock star, who has the girls doing whatever he asks them to. I give the angry chick the look, the one that wins them over. I never have to try hard, she’ll be falling over her words soon enough.

“What makes you so special?” she snaps.

Whoa. Okay.

“Nothing, what makes you so special?” I smile slowly, lingering a look on her lips.

No discernible reaction. Hmm. Maybe cutting my hair was a bad move?

“Do I have to call the police?” she continues.

Fuck. “No. Wait. Okay.”

She wins. Besides, if the chick sees my name when I give my details and finally realises who I am, I might be able to sweet-talk my way out of this. I fucking hope so because I want to get out of here and into some peace. I turn back to my car.

A door slams behind as the girl gets back into her car. In surprise, I spin round. She revs the engine and the silver hatchback screeches away.

What a weird chick. I rest against my car and watch her disappear along the lane. In case she changes her mind, I wait in my car for a few minutes. Then realisation hits. I’m sitting in a car, in the middle of nowhere fantasising about getting my hands on the body of a girl whose life I just crashed into and will never see again. I should be getting the hell out of here to anonymity, relieved she never found out who I was.

But I’m not, I wanted to talk to her more. Not because she was an amusing girl with nice tits who would be a challenge, but because she didn’t know who I was.

If she’s a taste of how people treat the anonymous Dylan Morgan, I like it.

Keep up to date with all things Blue Phoenix including exclusive material – sign up for my newsletter!http://eepurl.com/Po81D

“A rock star doesn’t return to his humble beginnings and whisk away the girl he kissed once. Especially if she has a four year old and her relationship status is ‘it’s complicated’.”

Blue Phoenix bass player, Liam Oliver discovers pictures of his fiancée with another man and his world crashes around him. He packs up his humiliation and hurt and flies back to his Welsh family home for Christmas.

Cerys Edwards once had pictures of Liam Oliver covering her bedroom wall. Her best friend’s big brother never gave her the time of day when they were growing up. When she was fifteen, he left town leaving Cerys with her fantasies. Now he’s back. The problem is, she has a daughter and a broken relationship of her own.

In the world of his Christmas past, Cerys and Liam reconnect. Are they two hurt people looking for comfort in a time of heartbreak or does Cerys have a place in Liam’s future too?

Months later and unplugged from his Blue Phoenix lifestyle, Liam reconnects with Cerys. He discovers Cerys’s world is full of complications he never expected – including Ella’s father who isn’t happy about being replaced by a rock star.

Unplugged is more than a rock star romance. Liam isn’t dark and brooding like Dylan, or a bad boy like Jem but a fiercely loyal man with a big heart. This is a story of love, family and unexpected bonds made that can’t be broken.

This is book three of the Blue Phoenix series. It can be read as a standalone but has minor spoilers for books one and two.

Extract

Our faces touch, his rough cheek against my forehead, and I know if I move my head a few centimetres, our mouths will meet and our worlds will shift.

“Is kissing you still wrong?” I ask.

“Your lips are meant to be on mine.” He moves his face. The static charge of our mouths so close and the snow drifting onto our bodies drag us into a surreal world. The shift happens. I slide my cheek along his, the stubble scratching my skin as my lips meet the edge of his.

The world is covered in white, hidden from reality; a reality that I hate currently. I can escape for an evening, maybe a few days, and allow his blizzard to overwhelm me. If life is the same struggle when everything melts away again, a few moments lost in a fantasy after months of feeling worthless are what I need and worth the consequences.

Liam digs his hand into my hair and crashes his mouth against mine. I gasp in surprise at the force as he delves his tongue into my mouth, sliding against mine. When Liam kissed me in the bedroom the other day, there was a tension in him where he held back part of himself. Was this because Liam knew I did too? This time the world falls away completely as we kiss frantically, noses bumping as he pulls me into the snowstorm that is Liam Oliver.

Liam moves to kiss my cheeks, a delicious scrape against my skin as his hot lips burn into my cool neck. He slides a hand around my waist, beneath my coat and holds me against him. Convinced my legs are going to give way and cursing the lack of walls for Liam to press me against, I grip his sleeve.

Liam nudges his nose back across my face, hot breath mingling with mine and misting in the air. “Definitely feels right,” he whispers.

Then Liam kisses me so gently that he takes my soul and pulls it apart. My head spins as the intensity of the slow kiss fills me with a craving for this man that will never be satiated. This is more than feeling right, this is our hearts open and raw finding their way together.

Which means when they’re torn apart again the pain will kill me.

The heat we create counteracts the falling temperature around us but the cold of reality isn’t far. I pull my face away; I need to pull myself out of this.

Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. When you don’t trust people not to let you down, it’s easier to not get involved—and getting involved with a man who makes her skin sizzle just by looking at him would be una pazzia—crazy! Four years ago while Kezia’s daughter, Zoe, battled leukaemia, a tragic accident stole her husband’s life. Starting over in the little town of Oban where she’s adopted into the close knit community on Stewart Island, Kezia and her daughter are all the family the other needs. Except Zoe yearns for more.

New Zealand’s worst candidate for instant fatherhood…

Ben doesn’t do gooey emotional stuff. He doesn’t do cosy home and family. And he sure isn’t the big teddy-bear Kezia Murphy, the woman he secretly fantasises about, thinks he is. So when Jade, his surprise eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstep, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.

They’ll either melt or raze their lives to the ground…

When the sparks of attraction between Kezia and Ben fan into an inferno, Ben doesn’t know how much longer the layers of resistance around his heart can resist melting into the gooey mess he fears. The more he fights it the harder it is to make the choice that will destroy the family he now longs to claim.

EXCERPT

He moved like a much smaller, lighter man. A runner or a gymnast—all coiled power that could switch from casual swagger to lightning-fast action in a heartbeat.

She licked dry lips as he stalked closer, a witty response swallowed by the slow burn kindling low in her body. Both English and Italian deserted her, and she simply drank him in. Too good-looking, too confident—too much of everything that eroded her determination to resist him.

Bracing her spine as he stood alongside her, she waited for the punch line or another double entendre.

But he said nothing.

Just gazed down with a small half smile. Which was another word for a smirk—a baby, you know you’re impressed smirk.

She fanned herself with the edge of the board. Did she need a reminder of why she hated Alpha males? After growing up in a home full of five bull-headed Alpha brothers, no, she did not.

Ben’s arm brushed hers as he moved to let Noah past. Beneath her summery dress, her nipples puckered against her lacy bra cup.

Oh, no! Not again.

Kezia hugged the clipboard to her chest and closed her eyes. Please St. Paula, let the clipboard base be wide enough to cover my boobs.

A soft, rumbling sound next to her—Ben chuckling.

Sweet Mother! Had she spoken aloud? A quick glance confirmed her worst fears unfounded. Ben stared blandly into the crowd, as if he had no idea how much his closeness affected her.

Honestly, she should ask the Patron Saint of Widows for more than boob coverage. She needed strength—brute strength—to resist either the urge to murder the man, or the almost-as-terrifying urge to jump his bones until he begged for mercy.

Due South Series

Visit the wild and beautiful Stewart Island and the Due South world by reading Book 1 of the Due South series, In Too Deep.

Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.

Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.

When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, she can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.

This book is the second in the Blue Phoenix series, and is the continuation of the story told in Summer Sky. The Blue Phoenix books are a series of contemporary romance novels and novellas centred on the fictional rock band Blue Phoenix.

SYNOPSIS

Sky’s world turned upside down when she met rock star Dylan Morgan, and exploded when she discovered his hidden past.

Four months after Sky learns Dylan’s devastating secret, she’s trying to piece her life back together. Without an explanation from Dylan, Sky has no choice but to try and forget him.

Dragged back into the life he ran from, Dylan continues to spiral downwards as he copes with his fame the only way he knows how. Shattered by the revelation Sky knows his darker past, he forces himself to return to England and explain.

Sky and Dylan reconnect, attempting to build on the shaky foundations of their summer. But the outside world continues to conspire against them.

Taking place in the epicentre of the Blue Phoenix world, Sky and Dylan’s story continues amongst the chaos surrounding the band and its members.

Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, often with a side of snark. In between running a business, looking after her family and writing, Lisa sometimes finds spare time to do other things. This often involves swapping her book worlds for gaming worlds. Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog.

The restaurants I normally go to don’t have security on the door, or photographers hanging outside chatting to them as if they’re long-term work colleagues. These men are good looking, designer suited with earpieces and not the roughed-up bouncers from nightclubs back home, but they’re still security and there’s a reason for them to be there.

From the outside, the place is very understated, “The Cauldron” is written in small green letters beneath a covered entrance where the photographers lurk. The bouncers stand at a heavy, open black door and the windows are obscured by blinds so it’s difficult to see (or photograph) the diners. To me, the restaurant doesn’t look much different to the ordinary Italian place I went to in Bristol. This restaurant doesn’t contain ordinary people, and I doubt it ever does. Nobody looks twice at Dylan and me as we walk through, apart from a couple of curious glances from the waitresses. I grip Dylan’s hand and he strokes his thumb across mine, a gentle reminder he understands my discomfort.

The stone-topped tables are arranged far enough apart for discrete conversation, although I notice some are closer than others. The section of the restaurant we’re seated in is partially screened by a huge aquarium filled with brightly coloured blue and yellow fish, and I suspect our table for two is one of the most sought after for privacy. Dylan orders expensive champagne before the waitress has a chance to leave and I pull a face at him.

“Stop being flashy.”

“Don’t you like champagne?”

“Yes, but…”

“Then let me date you the way I want to.” He attempts a stern tone, but there’s a hint of a smile at his lips.

I kick him under the table. “You’re lucky I agreed to come.”

“You look beautiful,” he says and leans over the table to kiss my nose.

“You’ve told me approximately twenty times since we left you place.”

His eyes zone in on my breasts, and I flick him a look. The dress is elegantly perfect for the location. The knee-length dress made of a satin fabric hugs the curves Dylan loves so much, a flattering shape and dark blue colour. I hate to admit I’d have picked this myself and I do feel happier to be dressed like this in the environment I’m in. The neckline is scooped a little lower than I’d have chosen though.

“Just saying…” he says.

Dylan’s tattoos are covered by a blue shirt tonight, in a colour to match my dress. The top two buttons are undone so a hint of colour from the ink at the top of his chest contrasts nicely. Nicely? Am I starting to like tattoos? My mind wanders off on its own course, remembering other parts of Dylan’s tattooed body and realising I now associate ink with mind-blowing sex. I breathe out heavily and he gives me a curious look.

A woman at the nearby table watches us, no longer paying attention to the man she’s with. He’s older with salt and pepper hair, designer suited and impeccably groomed. She’s my age and is perfectly made up – face, hair and clothes. I managed the dress part, my hair and make-up not up to her standards. My girlish fantasy of wearing designer dresses and stalking around with a hot as hell, famous guy allows me to return her scrutiny with a smug smile.

I study the menu. “This is English but it reads like a foreign language? I don’t understand any of these words.”

“They’re just trying to make it sound as exclusive as the prices.”

I attempt to decipher foreign words and I’m unable to figure out what any item contains. “Whatever you say, I’d rather eat fish and chips on the beach. Or a bacon sandwich.”

Dylan looks at my mouth. “Me too. Maybe next time.”

The champagne arrives and the waiter pours two glasses. Getting pissed off with the scrutiny of the woman opposite, I fix her with a ‘what?’ look as I drink. Maybe I should sip, but I don’t sip. I set the glass back down and Dylan reaches across to place his hand over mine.

“I heard Kelly and Declan are coming later, they’re over from the States and currently more interesting than me so the paparazzi should have a different focus.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of them, even without hearing the surnames, so they must be more famous than you,” I say and Dylan pokes his tongue out. Well, they are Hollywood A Listers and I know more movies than music.

Dylan pours me another glass. Crap, did I drink the whole thing already? “They’re small glasses…”

I don’t want Dylan to drink, but I don’t say anything. The fact he is indicates he’s as nervous as I am. I agreed to the date, to starting again, but everything is fragile.

The appetisers appears, tiny scraps of salmon and asparagus with a weird looking bread that seems stale to me, in the middle of huge square white plates.

“No wonder famous people are so skinny!” I say a little too loudly and the woman at the next table who’s interested in me and Dylan looks over.

Despite our attempts to avoid Christmas, subtle decorations adorn the walls as a reminder and there’s a meal on the menu that possibly reads as Christmas fare. It’s difficult to tell.

“Why do you hate Christmas so much, Dylan?” I ask.

He focuses on his food. “My Dad left when I was eleven, and Mum died four years ago and both things happened at Christmas.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about your mum.” I reach across the table and squeeze his hand, unable to imagine losing one of my parents so young. He curls his fingers around mine. “Do you have any other family back in St Davids?”

“Not really. I don’t have a brother or sister, and just my Gran is left. I haven’t seen her for a few years either. Not since Mum’s funeral.”

“You don’t go back to St David’s and see her?”

He chews on his bottom lip. “I don’t go back there anymore. Too many memories.”

This is the first time we’ve spoken about anything outside of the intensity of us, and the crazy events around our relationship. It seems more than just the real world was missing from our bubble. Dylan mentioned this past the first morning together, when we searched for shells, at the point I first saw a connection to him. His sadness that morning is apparent now too.

The human and vampire divide in Nicola Grainger’s life is widening by the minute, as she struggles to pull her two worlds together. A trip to Paris with her best friend should be the perfect distraction. That is until she meets the father who abandoned her 16 years ago.

Anna is after vengeance for the murder of her mother and brother. Her wrath will only be satisfied by the demise of Nicola, and everyone she holds dear.